A 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted China's Jiashi County in the quake-prone Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Tuesday, causing panic among the residents, local media reported. The quake hit Kashgar Prefecture in the Xinjiang at 5:52 a.m. Tuesday (local time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). There was no immediate report of any casualty or damage. The epicentre of the quake was located at a depth of 8 km, the centre said in a statement.

Panic among the residents

However, residents in the city said they felt strong tremors and many people rushed out to the streets after the earthquake happened. The epicentre, 22 km from the county seat of Jiashi, is sparsely populated. The local government has sent personnel to the affected areas to check the situation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.